Not applicable
Not applicable.
In aircraft, once the cockpit crew has entered the cockpit, the cockpit door is closed and locked behind them, thereby creating an initially secure cockpit area. In a perfect world, the closed and locked cockpit door would be sufficient to keep unauthorized persons out of the secure cockpit area.
In reality, however, the cockpit door will be opened when physiological needs arise, or when the cockpit crew requests food or beverage service. When the reinforced cockpit door is opened, security is breached, and the reinforced door becomes useless as a defensive security measure to prevent the airplane from being commandeered. When the cockpit door is open, anyone seated in the forward passenger cabin can easily rush and invade the cockpit. The invader can then close and lock the reinforced door behind him or her, thereby turning the door into an offensive, rather than defensive, security measure. Thus, although closing and locking the cockpit door after the cockpit crew has entered creates an initially secured area, this security is breached when the door is subsequently opened.
In order to maintain the initially secured area even when the cockpit door is opened, an extended secured area must be created. The present invention relates to a door system for creating and maintaining a secured area. More specifically, the present invention provides a system by which the security of the cockpit area is maintained by way of an extended secured area. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system that provides at least two door and frame structures for creating and maintaining a secure cockpit area within aircraft. The system of the present invention can be used even where the physical configuration of the aircraft had previously prevented the creation of an extended secured area.
The present invention is directed to a system that provides at least two door and frame structures for creating and maintaining a secure cockpit area. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first door and frame structure includes the cockpit door and the frame of the cockpit door. According to this embodiment, at least one other door and frame structure is provided, preferably an existing lavatory door, which is extendable upon activation by a member of the cockpit crew, and which is herein referred to as the xe2x80x9csecured area door and frame structure.xe2x80x9d When the secured area door and frame structure is extended, it substantially blocks access to areas forward of the extended secured area door and frame structure.
Locks are provided to lock the secured area door and frame structure into its extended position. When the secured area door and frame structure is extended and locked into position, an extended secured area is created aft of the cockpit door, and forward of the secured area door and frame structure. The secured area door and frame structure preferably includes a functional door, which when unlocked, can be opened by a person in the area of the cabin aft of the secured area door and frame structure. When a functional secured area door is provided, the secured area door itself must be locked by a person within the extended secured area. When the secured area door is locked, the extended secured area is accessible to persons within the cockpit area and to persons who were within the extended secured area prior to the locking of the secured area door, but not to persons who were in the cabin of the aircraft and outside the extended secured area when the secured area door and frame structure was extended and the secured area door locked.
The extended secured area extends aft from the cockpit door and sufficiently aft into the cabin of the aircraft to provide the cockpit crew with access to the lavatory. The extended secured area also makes it possible for the cockpit crew to receive food and beverages, without requiring that the cockpit door be opened into a generally accessible and less secured area such as the cabin of the aircraft.
Because the system of the present invention can provide an extended security area with as few as two door and frame structures, the system is particularly useful in aircraft configurations having a forward lavatory behind the cockpit, or other configurations where physical design constraints make it difficult or impossible to provide a lavatory door and frame structure, a secure cockpit door and frame structure, and an extended secured area door and frame structure. The present invention provides the following advantages:
1) A system that prevents the cockpit door from being open to the cabin of the aircraft during times of required access to and egress from the cockpit.
2) A system by which the cockpit crew can access the lavatory and the galley without breaching the security of the cockpit.
3) A system by which flight attendants can access the cockpit without breaching the security of the cockpit.
4) A system that maintains the security of the cockpit, with minimal effect on the passengers, cockpit crew, and cabin crew""s access to the lavatory.
5) A system that maintains the security of the cockpit, and that can be installed in existing aircraft with little to no change in the basic layout of the lavatory/galley area.
6) A system that maintains the security of the cockpit, but that is simple in design, function, and use.